The Keshari cinema hall and (below) the Swati cine complex in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Sept 15: The days of standing in serpentine queues or waiting long hours at theatre to buy a film ticket shall soon be over.

People can now book your movie tickets without stepping out of their homes. They just have to log on to a website www.bookticketnow.com that was launched for the convenience of moviegoers some time ago.

Swagat Kar, the proprietor of bookticketnow.com, said the website would be helpful for people who are hard pressed for time but are keen to watch movies.

“People just need to have access to Internet and possess a credit or debit card. They can also choose a seat of their choice,” said Kar.

The e-booking facility, started with the Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites at Keshari Talkies, but the facility is now available at the popular cine complexes of the city such as Sriya, Swati and Stutee.

The theatres have allotted a part of their seats to be traded online. “We get to sell about 20 to 30 percent of the total seats per show in each hall which has dwindled the rate of black marketing to a great extent,” said Kar.

If a movie is scheduled to be released on Friday, the booking starts on Wednesday evening. Kar said, “One can check the booking status for the next seven days and can book a maximum of five tickets in one transaction.” The website also charges about 25 per cent of the ticket as convenience tax.

Once the customer has chosen his desired seats, only seven minutes are given to make the online payment to allow others to buy the tickets.

“If one person blocks a ticket for too long and finally decides not to buy it, we will incur losses. It is just a strategy to let the waiting customers to get the desired seats,” Kar added.

Once the tickets are booked, a confirmation is sent via sms or email. Only a print out along with one’s identity card has to be shown at the time of entering the movie hall.

However, there is no provision for cancellation of the tickets. “Only in exceptional cases we allow a refund. For instance, a person makes the payment but fails to get the tickets due to server failure,” Kar said.

The website is not only the first to come up with such a unique idea but also the only of its kind in Bhubaneswar which has received a tremendous response from the residents, especially youngsters.

Youngsters who cannot spare time to fetch the ticket from the movie hall counters have accepted the website with open arms.

“The long queues were frustrating and at times, I had to come back empty handed if all the tickets were sold out. Online reservation is a very cool and convenient idea,” said Arnav Pati, a college student.

Another student Ankit Tripathy said the website has emerged as a saving grace for impatient people.

“Earlier I had to request my sister to line up for the tickets as women have a much shorter queue. Black marketers were also a hassle but not any longer. It is a time saving option and I can also book seats of my choice,” he said.

After getting an enthusiastic response in Bhubaneswar, Kar said they would extend the e-booking facilities to movie halls in Behrampur within a month or two.

“We are also trying to introduce it in Cuttack but it will take time as the seats in those theatres are not numbered,” he added.